Choosing the right paint colour is an easy way to bring a sense of the outdoors to any room. It should be easy – inspiration can be found simply by walking though a park and looking at the varied greens of leaves, the rippled brown tones seen in bark, the watery blue of a summery sky, and the cool purple greys of rock and stone.

For some reason, however, people shooting for an outdoors-ey feel tend to think of hot and bright hues. They should think again. While Hacienda colours may be a perfect fit for the sun-drenched homes of Mexico, Canada’s cooler, darker climes mean muted, subtle shades are a more effective way to evoke a feeling of being in the landscape.

That’s why, for the upcoming (long-overdue) makeover of my office — in which I plan to bring the outdoors in — I’ll be working from a Para Paints 2014 trend palette called
Northern Retreat
, which features a coppery orange, muted olive and purple-grey that I’ve fallen for hard. Of course, I have to admit that I also love the pure simplicity of Jo Jo Whitewash, which comes from Para’s more dazzling Urban Vibe palette. Watch this space for progress updates and pics.

While spending time in a room that references the outdoors is no substitute for getting outside into the sunshine and fresh air, it can help tear down the pyschological walls between indoors and out, especially during spells of dreary weather, or on a small and shady condo balcony. For more tips on colour, check out
Para Paints
, where there’s loads of good of information and inspirational photos.

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